1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sliding door of a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sliding door support apparatus supporting a sliding door that opens/closes a door opening of a vehicle body by being moved to a front side or a rear side along a length direction of the vehicle to perform smooth sliding movement, and a sliding door device of a vehicle using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a vehicle has a predetermined sized cabin formed therein for boarding of a driver and accompanying occupants therein, and cabin opening/closing doors mounted to the vehicle body for opening/closing the cabin.
In a case of a passenger vehicle, the cabin opening/closing doors are front doors mounted to a front side of the vehicle in the length direction of the vehicle, and rear doors mounted to a rear side of the vehicle in the length direction of the vehicle, wherein, in general, the front doors and the rear doors are rotatably mounted to the vehicle body with hinges.
In a case of a van in which many people may board, the cabin opening/closing door opens/closes the cabin as the cabin opening/closing door slides forward/backward in the length direction of the vehicle.
Since the sliding door in the van opens the cabin as the opening/closing door moves backward in the length direction of the vehicle, and closes the cabin as the opening/closing door moves forward in the length direction of the vehicle, the sliding type of cabin opening/closing door in the van has a smaller space requirement for opening/closing the door than the hinge type of cabin opening/closing door in the passenger vehicle, to have an advantage of opening the door opening formed in the vehicle body completely even in an opening/closing space with a small width.
In a sliding door device of a vehicle provided with such a conventional sliding door, a sliding door support apparatus that supports smooth forward/backward sliding movement of the sliding door along a length direction of the vehicle in the sliding door device is required.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.